Dark Expanse - Jumpgates
Jumpgates are a useful and welcome addition to the game. They allow a player to send a ship or fleet of ships from one jumpgate to another jumpgate owned by the player, or the player’s Federation, regardless of the distance between the gates. This allows a player separated by vast distances from his Federation to still be in physical contact with his Federation. It also allows a player to reach his more distant planets if they are cut off by accident or enemy action. The jumpgate system also allows for the creation of Federations based on ideals, rather than who your neighbors are. Building a jumpgate: In order to build a new jumpgate, you’ll need 4000 goods, 3000 metal, 5000 energy, 2000 food, and 2000 population available on the planet. The planet that’s building the new jumpgate will also need 400 shipyard tech and 400 astrogation tech researched on the planet prior to attempting to construct the new jumpgate. The jumpgate construction option is found in the planetary infrastructure. Once the jumpgate has been constructed, it is at level 1. This means that all traffic departing through this gate will travel at one half of its normal speed to whatever destination gate has been selected. While the new gate will allow for travel over long distances to other gates in your Federation network, it is strongly recommended that the developing player upgrade the gate to level 2 at their earliest convenience. Once the jumpgate is at level 2, it will allow fleets traveling through it to travel at their normal speed. Upgrading a jumpgate: Jumpgates need 400 astrogation tech and 400 shipyard tech researched on the jumpgate for each jumpgate upgrade level. This means that the jumpgate will need astrogation and shipyard at 800 in order to upgrade the jumpgate to level 2, 1200 for level 3, etc. The jumpgate will also need the resources specified for each jumpgate upgrade level. Each jumpgate upgrade level increases the speed of the ships by one half of their original speed. So a level 1 gate results in one half speed, a level 2 gate results in regular speed, a level 3 gate results in one and a half times regular speed, a level 8 gate results in four times regular speed, etc. Traveling through the jumpgate: In order to send a fleet through the jumpgate, select your desired fleet’s in-system ops page. Select the numbers of each type of ship that you wish to send through the gate, and the fleet that you’re selecting the ships from. Select the ‘Traverse Gate’ mission, and select the destination gate from the ‘Target Jump Gate’ list. Select your commitment level, then select execute, and the ships that you chose will traverse the gate and begin their journey to the other gate. When they arrive at the destination gate, your fleet will be in orbit of the destination gate. They can then be sent on the next leg of their journey. Combat and Jumpgates If travelling through a jumpgate to a jumpgate that currently has a hostile fleet in orbit of the jumpgate, your fleet will engage in combat with that fleet when it arrives. This combat will be the same as any other fleet combat orbiting a planetary body, with one difference: Your fleet’s retreat route will be back through the jumpgate, at that jumpgate’s level’s speed. This means that if your fleet has cripples, and it travelled a long distance to get there, and it has to retreat because it did not beat the enemy fleet, it might be a VERY long voyage home. Conquering a Jumpgate Hostile jumpgates can be invaded or genocided just as any other planetary body. Jumpgate invasion works the same as any other planet – your fleet goes into orbit of the jumpgate, and engages any hostile fleet in orbit of the jumpgate and the PDB defenses of that jumpgate. Once you’ve successfully wiped out the defenders of the jumpgate, you’ll then need to land your marine transports on the planet. This also works the same as any planetary invasion – you’ll need enough marines to overwhelm the defending marines of the jumpgate. If your invasion has been successful, the jumpgate becomes yours. This does not mean that your new jumpgate will access the enemy’s Federation’s jumpgate network, but in fact means that you’ve added the jumpgate to your Federation’s network as an additional gate, functioning as a new beachhead into your enemy’s territory. Abandoned Jumpgates Abandoned Jumpgates can be colonized at any time, just like an abandoned planet. Simply land a colony mission on the jumpgate, be sure that environmental and social are both at 40 or more to support continued population growth on the jumpgate, and the jumpgate is yours. Colony missions can also be used to boost the population of a jumpgate, just as they can be used to boost the population of a planet. Once you’ve colonized a jumpgate, it simply becomes part of your jumpgate network, just like a jumpgate that you’ve built.